Top Ten Tips for Travel with Babies
Below is a top ten list of lessons learned about slow travel with babies within Latin America (since doing anything quickly is out of the question!)
1. Don’t worry about being one of the first ones to the bus terminal, airport boarding gate, or even immigrations lines. If you have a baby, you automatically have the right to cut to the front of the line, no questions asked. If no one officious waves you to the front, simply walk up to the front of the line and those in line will waive you through. When on public transit, you’ll always get a seat, and if no one seems to offer right away the bus driver will announce that someone needs to get up to make a seat available to the lady with the baby.
2. Don’t bring a lot of toys and baby gear as the baby won’t ever use them after leaving the U.S. Siena’s favorite toys generally fall into the categories of water bottles, remote controls, or “yuckies on the floor.” Baby clothes, strollers, highchairs, etc are available even in small towns, and not worth the hassle of carting around while you search for a long-term apartment.
3. Bring the baby everywhere with you, even places that you wouldn’t normally bring a baby in the U.S. Babies are great at breaking the ice, and as family is so highly regarded in Latin America, babies are welcome just about everywhere. The one exception to this was in Santiago where many cafes and restaurants allow smoking; there is a law there that states that minors under the age of 18 aren’t allowed in smoking establishments. Aside from this, we’ve taken Siena everywhere, and perhaps because of this she has become a very sociable, adaptable, and well-behaved baby.
4. Teach the baby a few key words in the local language as this will help her to make friends and bring about smiles from all. “Ciao” or “chau” is pretty easy for babies to say, and “hola” is also a winner. Your baby will feel extremely proud of herself when she’s able to communicate with all of the new friends she’s making, and her happiness is contagious.
5. Carry hand sanitizer with you, always. It’s not uncommon for strangers to grab your baby’s hands, touch her face, or to request to pick her up, especially in Argentina. However, as you don’t know where the kindly older lady or 5 year old’s hands have been, after they’ve interacted with your baby and have moved on, make sure you clean off baby’s hands. Her hands probably need a cleaning anyways if she has begun to crawl.
6. Purchase healthcare insurance, as in many countries around the world there is universal healthcare, but those who can afford it opt into the private system. The public doctors are known for being good though with outdated equipment and facilities, which may not be sufficient for a baby. We purchased healthcare insurance earlier this week, and were pleasantly surprised at the depth of coverage offered for the price. Knowing that we have this has given us tremendous peace of mind.
7. If you’re a nursing mom, know that you’re not alone, and that people will often ask you what your baby eats and whether you’re nursing. It’s a common sight to see women nursing their babies in public, even while grocery shopping or walking down the street.
8. Diaper changing stations are nonexistent, so plan on changing a dirty diaper whenever and wherever the urge strikes.
9. Trust your instincts. While it’s generally a good idea to be flexible and adapt to local customs, follow your parenting instincts as you’re the only one who knows what is best for your baby. This sometimes will put you in an awkward position, but is the right thing to do in the long run. This generally comes into play when needing to find a tactful way to decline the offer of numerous sweets for your baby.
10. Most importantly, have fun! Try to see all of these new experiences from your baby’s perspective, and remember that this time will pass quickly so cherish these adventures with your family. Take time to relax and, if your baby is anything like Siena, make singing and dancing a regular part of your day.
A baby carrier is a great way to bond with your baby as well as ditch that bulky stroller.
1. Don’t worry about being one of the first ones to the bus terminal, airport boarding gate, or even immigrations lines. If you have a baby, you automatically have the right to cut to the front of the line, no questions asked. If no one officious waves you to the front, simply walk up to the front of the line and those in line will waive you through. When on public transit, you’ll always get a seat, and if no one seems to offer right away the bus driver will announce that someone needs to get up to make a seat available to the lady with the baby.
2. Don’t bring a lot of toys and baby gear as the baby won’t ever use them after leaving the U.S. Siena’s favorite toys generally fall into the categories of water bottles, remote controls, or “yuckies on the floor.” Baby clothes, strollers, highchairs, etc are available even in small towns, and not worth the hassle of carting around while you search for a long-term apartment.
"I eat this, right?" Anything can be a toy.
3. Bring the baby everywhere with you, even places that you wouldn’t normally bring a baby in the U.S. Babies are great at breaking the ice, and as family is so highly regarded in Latin America, babies are welcome just about everywhere. The one exception to this was in Santiago where many cafes and restaurants allow smoking; there is a law there that states that minors under the age of 18 aren’t allowed in smoking establishments. Aside from this, we’ve taken Siena everywhere, and perhaps because of this she has become a very sociable, adaptable, and well-behaved baby.
4. Teach the baby a few key words in the local language as this will help her to make friends and bring about smiles from all. “Ciao” or “chau” is pretty easy for babies to say, and “hola” is also a winner. Your baby will feel extremely proud of herself when she’s able to communicate with all of the new friends she’s making, and her happiness is contagious.
5. Carry hand sanitizer with you, always. It’s not uncommon for strangers to grab your baby’s hands, touch her face, or to request to pick her up, especially in Argentina. However, as you don’t know where the kindly older lady or 5 year old’s hands have been, after they’ve interacted with your baby and have moved on, make sure you clean off baby’s hands. Her hands probably need a cleaning anyways if she has begun to crawl.
6. Purchase healthcare insurance, as in many countries around the world there is universal healthcare, but those who can afford it opt into the private system. The public doctors are known for being good though with outdated equipment and facilities, which may not be sufficient for a baby. We purchased healthcare insurance earlier this week, and were pleasantly surprised at the depth of coverage offered for the price. Knowing that we have this has given us tremendous peace of mind.
7. If you’re a nursing mom, know that you’re not alone, and that people will often ask you what your baby eats and whether you’re nursing. It’s a common sight to see women nursing their babies in public, even while grocery shopping or walking down the street.
8. Diaper changing stations are nonexistent, so plan on changing a dirty diaper whenever and wherever the urge strikes.
9. Trust your instincts. While it’s generally a good idea to be flexible and adapt to local customs, follow your parenting instincts as you’re the only one who knows what is best for your baby. This sometimes will put you in an awkward position, but is the right thing to do in the long run. This generally comes into play when needing to find a tactful way to decline the offer of numerous sweets for your baby.
10. Most importantly, have fun! Try to see all of these new experiences from your baby’s perspective, and remember that this time will pass quickly so cherish these adventures with your family. Take time to relax and, if your baby is anything like Siena, make singing and dancing a regular part of your day.
Earthquake!!!
So Jen and I wrapped up our trip to Santiago, knowing we had decided on moving to Mendoza, but also that we would likely be back. On that note, we met with Derek Mossman of MOVI, a group of independent winemakers. We met at his house where he poured for us some of his wines from Garage Wine Co and we talked about the Chilean vs. Argentine wine industry. The trippy thing was, that at some point we talked about earthquakes, and I made the ominous comment that I thought Chile was about due for one.Well sure enough, a very large earthquake did in fact strike Chile. It was so large, that despite being on the other side of the Andes, we felt it pretty good over here in Mendoza, Argentina. Luckily, we had flown from Santiago to Mendoza a mere 12 hours before it struck, but we had very nearly stayed another day in Santiago.
Having grown up in California and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for ten years, I was no stranger to earthquakes. I woke up to the slight tapping of our hanging closet doors. I must have sensed something was wrong, because I looked over at the window, where sometimes the wind blew in and made the same noise. The curtain wasn't moving, there was no wind. I bounced up and then I heard a car alarm, confirming my suspicion it was an earthquake. I grabbed baby, woke up mom and we went to the closest doorway, where we sat through an agonizingly long 2-3 minutes of the floors waving and the walls shearing. I tried to make light of it, and downplayed how bad I thought it was for Jen. Siena, born and raised (until now) in San Francisco, slept through the whole thing, and even a diaper change in between aftershocks.
Being from California, we didn't bother going back to bed until after the first aftershock. It wasn't too bad, so we went back bed. We woke up for the second aftershock, looked up at the light fixture gently rocking, and went back to sleep again.
The next day we went to the Internet cafe, and tried sending emails, Facebook updates, and so on, so our family would know we were okay. Internet was spotty, as the quake seemed to have knocked out some lines.
We also reached out to our friends in Chile, all of whom thankfully are okay. Matias, of Espresso Bar Cafe reports that there was no damage where he was. Derek was not so lucky, as he writes about here, but the most important thing is that his family is safe.
We are filled with a sense of wanting to help. We haven't figured out how exactly yet, but I'm sure Derek from MOVI can point us in the right direction.
In the meantime, we urge you to please buy that Chilean wine or organic Chilean strawberries the next time you are in the store. In this small way, you can contribute to rebuilding Chile.
We've Made A Decision
We've learned a lot during our exploratory month in Argentina and Chile, and are excited to see the developments going on with some of the smaller, artisan wineries in both countries.
Chile has traditionally been the home of fewer larger wineries, though a few dedicated winemakers have begun branching out with smaller hand-crafted wines. This is very exciting for Chilean wine overall, and something we're looking to be a part of. This is still a very new effort, so while the artisan winemakers are crafting their wine we're going to head to Argentina, hoping to keep in close contact with like-minded Chileans and when the time is right begin exporting their labors of love to California. In the meantime, we're heading back to Mendoza, Argentina's wine capital.
There is a great energy in Mendoza, and it feels like I imagine Napa felt 30 or so years ago, when winemakers and vintners were beginning to experiment with clones, rootstock, varietals, as well as winemaking equipment and techniques, etc to find the styles that best suited the terroir and the winemakers' visions. International experts have begun arriving and producing wines in Mendoza, and many conversations include reference to the infamous Michael Rolland. We had some great wines at the few wineries we've visited so far, though this was only the tip of the iceberg so the real work will soon begin (such as finding a more permanent home in Mendoza!)
Chile has traditionally been the home of fewer larger wineries, though a few dedicated winemakers have begun branching out with smaller hand-crafted wines. This is very exciting for Chilean wine overall, and something we're looking to be a part of. This is still a very new effort, so while the artisan winemakers are crafting their wine we're going to head to Argentina, hoping to keep in close contact with like-minded Chileans and when the time is right begin exporting their labors of love to California. In the meantime, we're heading back to Mendoza, Argentina's wine capital.
There is a great energy in Mendoza, and it feels like I imagine Napa felt 30 or so years ago, when winemakers and vintners were beginning to experiment with clones, rootstock, varietals, as well as winemaking equipment and techniques, etc to find the styles that best suited the terroir and the winemakers' visions. International experts have begun arriving and producing wines in Mendoza, and many conversations include reference to the infamous Michael Rolland. We had some great wines at the few wineries we've visited so far, though this was only the tip of the iceberg so the real work will soon begin (such as finding a more permanent home in Mendoza!)
